POD 2.0 for me is the ultimate recording interface for recording guitar. It's a red kidney-shaped guitar interface that plugs in directly to your recording input. The sound is incredibly like a close or far mic'd cabinet. Many different options to change cabinets (2x12, 1x12, 4x10, etc.) and it sounds like the amps it says it's emulating, unlike MANY others I've tried. The newer versions have a USB (digital) interface that works swell.

I've been in the recording industry for over 20 years, and I'm definately sold on the POD by Line-6.

Les

For the tone snobs. Taken from http://www.anycities.com/andyhifi/musicians.htm, I don't know if the link is still active but I printed it to a PDF if anyone wants the whole article.

The truth is that the "tone" of your guitar and amp is in your fingers and your music. Unless you are
playing solo guitar without any effects and the guitar is a solo lead instrument (not just rhythm), guitars
tend to sound the same. Many guitar fans want to emulate their rock star idols by buying the same
equipment their idols endorced. But unless you read interviews of people who were actually there when
those rock stars made their famous recordings, you won't know what equipment was actually used. For
example: fans of Jimi Hendrix buy Fender Stratocasters and Marshall amps, but Hendrix actually made
his most famous recordings with Gibson and Hofner and Epiphone and Gretsch guitars into Silvertone
and Burns and Fender amps, for live performancs Hendrix used solid state "fuzz" pedals into "clean"
Marshall amps; fans of Jimmy Page buy Gibson Les Paul guitars and Marshall amps, but he made his
most famous recordings with Fender Telecaster and Danelectro guitars into small "practice" Fender
Champ amps; B.B. King made some of his most famous recordings with Fender Telecasters; Mark Knopfler recorded with guitars by Pensa; Stevie Ray Vaughn's "main" recording guitar was a Hamiltone
built by James Hamilton with EMG pickups, and he also used Gibson guitars with a Silvertone amp and
a Fender Vibroverb amp with an Ibanez TS-9 pedal, the amps he recorded with are considerably less
expensive than the Dumble amp and beat up guitars he toured with and used in videos and photos; the
guitarist for U2 uses a wide variety of guitars such as Gibson, Rickenbaker, Fender, etc., but no matter
what he uses he still sounds like him and nobody can differentiate which guitar was used on his
recordings, not even him; Slash, was the famous "Gibson" guitarist for Guns 'N Roses, but his guitar was
actually a replica guitar built by an independent luthier who didn't even work for Gibson; Kurt Cobain
appeared on stage with a Marshall amp that wasn't even plugged in, the cabinets were empty so he could
more easily shove his guitar neck through the cloth when he "trashed" his equipment at the end of his
concerts, he actually used an Ibanez TS-9 and SansAmp into the PA; some rock stars have used such a
wide variety of guitars and amps that even they can't remember what they've used. Some people pretend
to be connoisseurs of amp "tone" and speak revently of "tube tone", without realizing that their idols
used solid state effects pedals like the Ibanez TS-9 and their amps "clean." It's amusing to see people
spend lots of money collecting equipment to emulate their idols, but all the while they've had no idea
what equipment their idols actually used. Some people want to emulate their idols like tribute bands do
and they try to adopt their identities from their posessions; they say things like "I'm not a Fender-man,
I'm more of a Gibson-man", all the while they're completely mistaken about what their idols actually
used.

Interesting, no?

The truth is that the "tone" of your guitar and amp is in your fingers and your music.

Then why, may I ask, is so much gear listed?

ORIGINAL: DigiDis

Interesting, no?

Interesting, yes. Very interesting indeed.

Frank & Jim make some great points above

what type of guitar are you playing?

what style of music?

is this a live band? or a psuedo world of electronica(no sarcasm intended..)?

The listener really doesn't care if a CD is recorded with a POD or a boutique amp using the most expensive mics in the most expensive studio.

For the vast majority of listeners, this is true. It's even true for me to a certain extent.

There are some listeners to whom this makes a discernible difference, and their perspective is valid as well.

Pop music, layered sounds, modelers are OK by me.

Guitar heros, I prefer tube amps recorded in great sounding rooms with great analog gear.

Also something to consider is that the way the guitar is setup can make dramatic changes to the way it sounds.
Higher action, ( to a point ) produces more tone and more punch.
I often set the action up when I'm plugged into my recording setup.

can I ask something? how important is to use a DI box if you already have a good sound card?
I use a Saffire LE and connect my guitar straight into that but some dude told me I should first go into a DI box which has a balanced out, then go into the balanced input of the Saffire....

any idea? do I really need DI box?

Perhaps I am being too simplistic, but the first question that comes to me from reading the original question is...

Acoustic or electric guitar?

Until that question is answered, how can the original question be addressed?

.....try to think, but nothin' happens......

Matt,

I so much agree with your assessment of new strings. I am totally addicted to new strings for the following reasons.

Because even slight traces of acidity on the hands starts to almost immediately wear into the finish, which diminishes the quality of the sound.

New strings intonate differently the second day and more so on the third and forth and so on. I check and adjust my intonation EVERY DAY.

I generally run my strings for a week when trying to be frugal. But I wipe them clean every hour or so and thoroughly when putting it down for any length of time.

I check the intonation before EVERY recording session.

Also if you don't finish a track in 1 day, it is difficult to achieve the same sound on the same strings 2 days later.

I never would play 2 gigs with the same strings. Because of the increased perspiration and use during gigs, gigs are much harder on strings than recording.

I have always been on a quest to get a perfectly tuned guitar that will stay in tune. This is a journey not a destination. Guitars are inherently out of tune. Here are the things I have found over 43 years of guitar playing that will get you as close as possible.

Make sure the neck is straight and stays straight.

Make sure the nut is a quality material and cut to the proper size. A good luthier can do this.

Make sure your frets are properly dressed or replaced every few years. Check the dressing every year.

Get a GOOD tuner, a strobe tuner or something with at least .01 cent accuracy.

Check and adjust your intonation every day. When you do this, it's not much work at all with a ACCURATE tuner, not a led cheap thing, which may be OK for a gig, but not for intonation work.

And the number one thing I have found that I would NEVER EVER EVER be without is LOCKING TUNERS, be they Sperzels, or Grovers or whatever. Locking tuners eliminate the coil of wire around the tuning peg, which acts as a SPRING that can coil and uncoil. Locking tuners removes this "spring" and strings stay put. Absolutely the number one thing you can do to make your guitar stay in tune. Andy they only cost around $60.

That's my decades of advice for the day.

Daryl